Review
A few reviews of my novel,Before the Dawn, are now starting to appear on Amazon. Here's one of them:
5.0 out of 5 stars An important novel about the impact of "civilization" on indigenous cultures 26 Jan 2014
By Garry C. Powell - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
First, I should say that although I have never met Rupert Copping, we share the same publisher. However, I do not publish favourable reviews for anyone, even my friends, unless I genuinely admire them. So, to come to the point: I found this a fascinating and important novel, and a highly original one in subject matter, as it deals with a previously "undiscovered" indigenous culture in South America, the Arayana, who are under threat from the outside world, and their story is told entirely and very convincingly from the point of view of several key members of their tribe. I don't know whether the Arayana are a real or fictional people, but the details of their life, which are not romanticized at all, have the very ring of truth. I know that Mr. Copping lived in Ecuador in his youth, and I would venture the opinion that he knows what he's speaking about. In the novel we meet few "purinis" or westerners--Spanish speakers all, rather than gringos--and the ones we do not meet are not all brutal and bad (Copping does not present us with a black and white vision), but the Indians come across as real individuals with complex lives, not so different from our own in their essential longings and hopes, and the richness of the culture, in terms of their history and mythology, is very apparent. I don't wish to spoil the reader's pleasure by giving away too much of the plot, but let me say that while the sovereign, Rumicuri, goes on a journey to the world of the purinis to discover whether his people are under a direct threat, his people are visited by soldiers. The story is as exciting as it is complex and artfully structured. Highly recommended for lovers of literary fiction and anyone with any interest in post-colonial realities, particularly in Latin America.
5.0 out of 5 stars An important novel about the impact of "civilization" on indigenous cultures 26 Jan 2014
By Garry C. Powell - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
First, I should say that although I have never met Rupert Copping, we share the same publisher. However, I do not publish favourable reviews for anyone, even my friends, unless I genuinely admire them. So, to come to the point: I found this a fascinating and important novel, and a highly original one in subject matter, as it deals with a previously "undiscovered" indigenous culture in South America, the Arayana, who are under threat from the outside world, and their story is told entirely and very convincingly from the point of view of several key members of their tribe. I don't know whether the Arayana are a real or fictional people, but the details of their life, which are not romanticized at all, have the very ring of truth. I know that Mr. Copping lived in Ecuador in his youth, and I would venture the opinion that he knows what he's speaking about. In the novel we meet few "purinis" or westerners--Spanish speakers all, rather than gringos--and the ones we do not meet are not all brutal and bad (Copping does not present us with a black and white vision), but the Indians come across as real individuals with complex lives, not so different from our own in their essential longings and hopes, and the richness of the culture, in terms of their history and mythology, is very apparent. I don't wish to spoil the reader's pleasure by giving away too much of the plot, but let me say that while the sovereign, Rumicuri, goes on a journey to the world of the purinis to discover whether his people are under a direct threat, his people are visited by soldiers. The story is as exciting as it is complex and artfully structured. Highly recommended for lovers of literary fiction and anyone with any interest in post-colonial realities, particularly in Latin America.
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